Improvement in tire-tighteners



W. F. ROWE.

TIRE-TIGHTENER.

No. 189,788. Patented April 17, 1877.

Y P TENT @FFICE.

WILLIAM F. 0F LIONS, IOWA. .ASSIGNOR TO EUGENE S. GIBBS, OF

- sAMn IMPROVEMENT m Specification forming part of Letters Patent NoPLACE.

. 189,788, dated April 17, 1877; application filed March 2, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM FRANKLIN ROWE, of Lyons, in the county ofClinton and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in TireTightening Machines; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, whichwill enable others skilled in the art Lo which it appertains to make anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

Figure 1 is a front view. Fig. 2 is a side view. Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of the jointed spreader.

My invention relates to machines for tightening tires and pulling outspokes.

The object of the invention is a machine for tightening tires by meansof washers on the shoulders of the spokes, and also by spreading apartthe fellies, as hereinafter more fully described.

A is a hollow standard, provided with a slot, on, and notches a, toreceive the cam and its bearing-shaft.

B is a follower, adjusted to slide up and down in the standard, and isprovided with the bearing-arms b b.

O is a cam, provided with a fixed shaft, 0, having an extended end, 0formed to hold thelever D.

I use a cam because, by experiment, it is found to be better than aneccentric. The cam requires less power to operate it, and will stand inany position under the pressure of the follower, while the eccentricrequires to be held in such position, and to render the instrument morereadily adjustable to any re quired length the cam is provided with thefixed bearing-shaft to be laterally inserted in, and removed from, thenotches in the standard, instead of bolts inserted through holes in thecam and standard.

E represents a jointed spreader, having slots d in the ends to receivethe fellies. The top of the standard is provided with a recess, 0forming a seat for the joint of the spreader, as shown in Fig. 1 of thedrawings.

B is a curved base, provided with an adjusting-screw, b, fitting in afemale screw in the lower end of the standard.

G is a clip, the proper size to readily slip over a spoke, S, and K is arod, the lower end of which is connected to the clip by a loop or hook,d, inserted through an eye in the clip, and the upper end of the rod Kis bent, as shown at f, forming a hook to catch over the top of thestandard, as seen in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The required length of the instrument is obtained by means of theadjusting-screw b, and by the adjustment of the shaft of the cam in thenotches of the standard. The shaft of the cam being placed in the propernotch, the cam is adjusted with the smallest diameter hearing againstthe end of the follower, which is raised by turning the cam in thedirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2 of the draw- 1ngs.

To tighten a tire by means of washers on the spokes, the instrument,adjusted to the proper length, is placed in position with the base B onthe hub H, and the arms b, bearing against the inner part of thefellies, and by means of the lever D the cam is turned in the directionof the arrow, raising the follower and pressing the fellies outwardagainst the tire, opening the joints between the shoulders of the spokesand the fellies for the insertion of washers. 7

To tighten a tire by spreading apart the fellies, the jointed spreader Eis adjusted in its seat 0 on the follower, and the length of the machineis adjusted so that the slotted ends of the spreader bear against theunder part of the fellies, and against the inner sides of the twocontiguous spokes S, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings; and by raisingthe follower by means of the cam and lever, as above described, the armsimpinging against the fellies and spokes press in opposite directions,the two fellies opening thejoint between them to be filled with theproper sized pieces of hard wood or other suitable substances.

To draw out spokes from the hub the clip G is adjusted on the spoke tobe drawn, and the machine placed in position with the base B on the hub,the upper end of the rod K is hooked over the upper end of the follower,as

standard A, follower B, and cam (J, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own invention I affix mysignature hereto in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM FRANKLIN ROWE.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM W. SANBORN, L. M. D1011.

